Not Your Avergae Thanks Giving...

Now this post is inspired by some one's actual Thanksgiving day post ...I feel as though his post brought a dose of much needed reality to people that don't really have an idea about real gratefulness is about.

I arrived home this Thanksgiving at about 4:00pm. No one was home except for the kids (my cousins)...between the ages of 5 and 14. There was some food but it had all been wrapped away and placed in the axillary refrigerator in the basement. I went down stairs as instructed and served myself up some cold left overs which I put in the microwave and heated up. No turkey, sweet potato pie or collard greens I might add...I guess we skipped it this year. My aunt and oldest cousin (25) had gone to work because they both work in the health care industry and their slave master told them they had to work today. The only adult home was my debilitating Grandmother who was fast asleep in bed. So after eating I went upstairs to computer to catch up on some online stuff since my computer at school had crashed earlier that week.

I began to think, I wasn't particularly disappointed by the lack of festivities occurring at my house. I am accustomed to it..my family is not one of those lovey-dovey families were we have mandatory family time, call each other everyday and end each conversation with the all to misused phrase "I love you" (notice I said misused not over-used, there is a difference). This holiday was no different than any other. Usually I don't really look forward to Christmas or family holidays like that because as I grew up and realised that those days are like any other and are catered to two groups: Kids and the Retail Industry.

Now on to my main point: THANKFULNESS which is associate dearly with GRATEFULNESS. Now we sit around a table once or twice a year and are asked one by one we what we are thankful for and being honest with ourselves some of us think long and hard and hope that we are not the first one to be summoned because quiet frankly, most of us can't think up a white lie quickly enough that wont seem cliche or shady.

This is life people, it's that life that we as westerners live. We who have the most privilege in the world...sit and stuff ourselves with turkey on Thanksgiving day and give ourselves presents and Xmas day because we are so "GRATEFUL" for what we have...Isn't that ironic: each Holiday that we are suppose to be thanking someone else, we give our selves a pat on the back and presents i.e. Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter? We give ourselves more because we are so grateful for what we have been given. Isn't that a little counterproductive and hypocritical to you? I think we all know that we go through certain experiences for a reason.

I grew up in a poor family. My mother did whatever she had to do so she could give as close to a normal life as possible. I am forever GRATEFUL for that. I'm grateful because I didn't grow up having everything. I'm GRATEFUL because I had the opportunity to see the difference between the poor and the rich(most of us are rich whether we think so or not). I'm grateful because I don't know how the fuck I got this far but I did. I'm grateful for the fact that I can even have a relationship when so many thousand of others have to hide themselves because of fear of being killed and battered and shaming their family to the point that there mother commits suicide all int the name of love. America, think about what you have and be GRATEFUL!!! Give the someone who doesn't have as much as you then say Marry Christmas or Happy Thanksgiving. Tired of words without meaning.

Next time you decide to curse out some sales person about your ipod touch not working or you say something demeaning to the McDonald's lady at the drive through window who can hardly speech English but is stilling working every hour she can to make a penny, or threaten the guy at the dry cleaners that through away your overpriced D&G sun glass that you left in you jacket, THINK, am I REALLY thankful or is it a bunch of fake bullshit I use to make me feel a little bit better about myself.

- A very Special K who is hoping this post makes you just a little more thankful.

Enjoy your Holiday